Johnny Manziel has advice for AAF players losing their jobs

With the Alliance of American Football reportedly meeting its quick and unfortunate demise, one of its newest players has advice for his colleagues.

Johnny Manziel, who played two games for the Memphis Express before the league reportedly expected to cease operations, advised fellow AAF players to save their money. He is not optimistic players will be paid out the sum laid out in their contracts.

“If you’re an AAF player and the league does dissolve, the last check you got will be the last one that you get,” Manziel wrote on Twitter. “No lawsuit or anything else will get you your bread. Save your money and keep your head up. It’s the only choice at this point unless something drastic happens.”

Manziel, the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner, made his AAF debut on March 24, completing three of five passes for 48 yards while adding 20 yards on two rushes. He also saw action for Memphis on Saturday but was injured when attempting to make a tackle after throwing an interception. Manziel took a shot to the head on the play and needed help to leave the field.

Despite the short stay with the Express, Manziel offered a positive review of his experience with the AAF.

Manziel, a 2014 first-round pick of the Cleveland Browns, landed in the AAF after his time in the NFL and Canadian Football League fizzled out amid various circumstances, mainly off the field. Manziel violated the NFL’s substance abuse policy and was involved in a domestic violence issue during his time with the Browns.

That led to the CFL instituting strict conditions for his employment in the league. And when Manziel, who was playing for the Montreal Alouettes, strayed from those conditions, the league cut him loose and said he was “ineligible” to play for another CFL team, effectively banning him from the league.

Perhaps the XFL will be next on Manziel’s pro football journey.

Spurrier: AAF officials ‘not very truthful’

Among the most prominent figures in the AAF was Steve Spurrier. Spurrier, a legendary college football coach who also had a stop in the NFL, was quick to sign on as the head coach of the Orlando Apollos.

Spurrier told the Orlando Sentinel on Tuesday that he called off practice when word spread that the league would be suspending operations. The team was understandably disappointed.

Spurrier also gave the impression that the league’s higher-ups were misleading.

“Everyone was led to believe that the Alliance was well funded and we could play three years without making and money and this, that and the other. Obviously, everything that was said was not very truthful,” Spurrier said.

If the league indeed folds, Spurrier will go down as its all-time winningest coach. The Apollos have a league-best 7-1 record with two weeks left in the 10-week regular season. A four-team postseason was expected to follow.

The AAF, which had a conference call scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, has yet to issue any sort of statement addressing Tuesday’s reports. The decision to suspend operations was reportedly made by chairman Tom Dundon for financial reasons, and done so against the wishes of CEO Charlie Ebersol and head of football Bill Polian, the league’s co-founders.

“When the new owner came in, we thought we had financial backing and we’d be able to at least play out the season,” Spurrier told the Sentinel. “We never thought it would end like this.”

The league started off strong, but soon needed a major financial investment from Dundon, the owner of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. Last week, Dundon told USA Today that the league needed the help of the NFL Players Association, hinting at an impending demise.

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